About Mike Senior
Mike developed an interest in recording while studying for a Music Degree at Cambridge University, and worked as an assistant engineer at a number of London studios including RG Jones, West Side, Angell Sound, and Music By Design. Following an MSc in Music IT at City University, he landed a full-time job as in-house engineer at Great Linford Manor Studios, working with artists such as The Charlatans, Reef, Therapy, Nigel Kennedy, and Wet Wet Wet. In October 1999, he moved back to Cambridge and joined the editorial department of Sound On Sound magazine full-time, where he was Reviews Editor for six years and presided over the launch of the popular Studio SOS and Mix Rescue columns, and since turning freelance was also instrumental in developing the regular Session Notes and The Mix Review features. He now devotes his time to recording, mixing, writing, and developing multimedia educational resources, as well as hosting the monthly Cambridge-MT Patrons Podcast. His best-selling books Recording Secrets For The Small Studio and Mixing Secrets For The Small Studio provide complete recording and mixing courses based around the techniques of hundreds of the world’s most famous producers.
Mike has been one of Sound On Sound’s more prolific authors, and you can read some samples of his work on their site by following the links below (although for any articles published within the last nine months you’ll need an e-subscription to view them in full):
Workshop features
- The 10 Biggest Mix Mistakes – And How To Avoid Them (cover feature)
- The 10 Biggest Recording Mistakes – And How To Avoid Them
- Vocal Comping – Build The Perfect Performance (cover feature)
- Podcast Like A Pro (cover feature)
- Mixing Bass (cover feature)
- Building Tracks Around Sampled Tunes (cover feature)
- Recording Acoustic Guitar (cover feature)
- Compression Made Easy & Classic Compressors (cover feature)
- Use Reverb Like A Pro: Part 1 & Part 2 (cover feature)
- Kick & Snare: Advanced Recording Techniques (cover feature)
- Drum Compression (cover feature)
- Strings: On A Budget & In A Hurry (cover feature)
- Perfect Piano (cover feature) and Recording Upright Piano
- Recording Electric Guitars (cover feature)
- Mixing Virtual Drums
- Creating Your Own Reference CD
- Phase Demystified
- Creating & Using Synth Pad Sounds
- Analysing Commercial Mixes
- Vocal Editing: Pitch & Time
- Vocal De-essing Techniques
- Roland VS880/1680 Masterclass; Roland VS2480 Masterclass Part 1 and Part 2
- Creative Synthesis With Yamaha XG Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3
‘Mix Rescue’ – reader remixes
- The Ferryboat Men: 'The Winds Of Gypsy Moor' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Jeff Hirata: 'Sunshine' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Dorothea Wessel: 'Muddy Water' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- The Purple Hat Mob: 'Access Denied' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Michaela Betts & Alessia McDermott: 'Crazy In Love' ( MP3 play_arrow )
- Trafficker: 'My Father Never Loved Me' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Lingua Funqa: 'Just One Minute' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Balazs Daniel Boogie Woogie Band: 'Own Way To Boogie' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Malenky Slovos: 'Matterplay' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Spektakulatius: 'Album Mastering: 10 & Sommeredition 2015' ( MP3 play_arrow )
- Spektakulatius: 'Album Mixing: 10 & Sommeredition 2015' ( MP3 play_arrow )
- Bruks: 'Kak Tvoi Dela, Vova?' ( MP3 play_arrow )
- Nerve 9: 'Pray For The Rain' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Cristina Vane: 'So Easy' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Tom McKenzie: 'Directions' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- The Wrong'uns: 'Rothko' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- James May: 'On The Line' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- The Guest Bedroom: 'Fine Lines' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Santi Vega: 'Ying Yang' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- The Mountaineering Club: 'Mallory' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Jokers, Jacks & Kings: 'Sea Of Leaves' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Kayle Clements: 'Marty's Song' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Sambasevan Shanmugam: 'Kaathaadi' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Igorski: 'Ganymede' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Arise: 'Run, Run, Run' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Young Griffo: 'Facade' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- The Wolf's Head & Vixen Morris Band: 'Lament' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Signe Jakobsen: 'What Have You Done To Me' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Blue Lit Moon: 'Dad's Glad' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- We Fell From The Sky: 'Not You' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Tom Marcovich: 'That's Fine' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Flags: '54' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Johnny Lokke: 'Promises & Lies' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Girls Under Glass: 'We Feel Alright' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Phre The Eon: 'Everybody's Falling Apart' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Obscuresounds: 'Infernal Machine' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Dave Gerard: 'Never Stop' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Turn Back To Spring: 'Another Day Calling' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- The Black Bloc: 'If You Want Success' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Zeno: 'Signs' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Side Effects Project: 'Sing With Me' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Jay Menon: 'Through My Eyes' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- North To Alaska: 'All The Same' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Bobby Nobody: 'Stitch Up' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Alex Giddens: 'Get Blown' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Al James: 'Schoolboy Fascination' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Punkdisco: 'Oral Hygiene' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Chris Durban: 'Celebrate' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Timo Carlier: 'The Road Ahead' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Moosmusic: 'Big Dummy Shake' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- James Elder & Mark M Thompson: 'The English Actor' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Pocket Lips: 'Rock Show' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- St Vitus: 'Word Gets Around' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- The Free Radicals: 'Fly Away' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Opium Cartel: 'Beach House' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- David Greaves & Matt James: 'Looking For Someone' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Two Spot Gobi: 'Maybe Innocent (Live)' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Jesper Buhl Trio: 'What Is This Thing Called Love?' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Column Inches: 'Aftershow' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Wilx: 'Dressed To Kill' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Imprint: 'Let Me Go' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Richard Campbell: 'Shut Your Eyes' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Generals & Majors: 'Drink From My Cup' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Leaf: 'Come Around' (before: MP3 play_arrow ; after: MP3 play_arrow )
- Show all 64 articleskeyboard_arrow_down
‘Session Notes’ – recording features
- Spektakulatius: 'Making Custom Baffles' ( MP3 play_arrow )
- Spektakulatius: 'Revisiting Session Plans' ( MP3 play_arrow )
- Marcus Boeltz: 'One-room Recording Versus Overdubbing' (live: MP3 play_arrow ; overdubbed: MP3 play_arrow )
- Marcus Boeltz: 'Multi-purpose Band Recording' ( MP3 play_arrow )
- Magician's Nephew: 'Big Rock Drums In A Tiny Room' (drums balance: MP3 play_arrow ; mix context: MP3 play_arrow )
- Boltz & Knecht: 'Recording An Acoustic Guitar Duo In The Studio' ( MP3 play_arrow )
- Camilla Francesca Bull: 'Recording A Classical Piano & Vocal Ensemble' ( MP3 play_arrow )
- Don Camillo Choir: 'Recording A Choir In The Studio' ( MP3 play_arrow )
- Don Camillo Choir: 'Recording An Audiobook' ( MP3 play_arrow )
- Don Camillo Choir: 'Faking A Church Choir Sound In A Rehearsal Room' ( MP3 play_arrow )
- Peter Zimre: 'Achieving A Modern Metal Drum Sound Without Sample-triggering' ( MP3 play_arrow )
- Zwiepack: 'Comparing Two Different Miking Approaches' ( MP3 play_arrow )
- Hannes Keseberg: 'Faking A Big-ensemble String Sound With A Quintet' ( MP3 play_arrow )
- Bolz & Knecht: 'Minimalist Guitar-duo Recording' ( MP3 play_arrow )
- Spektakulatius: 'High-speed Band Recording' ( MP3 play_arrow )
- Brushes Held Like Hammers: 'Recording Percussion' ( MP3 play_arrow )
- Brushes Held Like Hammers: 'One-room Band Recording' ( MP3 play_arrow )
- Nerve 9: 'Tracking Lead Vocals' ( MP3 play_arrow )
- Duo Melodika: 'Recording A Baroque Music Duo' (duo 1: MP3 play_arrow ; duo 2: MP3 play_arrow )
- Impossible Colours: 'Multi-miking For Electric Guitar Tone' ( MP3 play_arrow )
- Impossible Colours: 'Tracking Psychedelic Rock In A Small Studio' ( MP3 play_arrow )
- Dunning Kruger: 'Writing And Recording Cello Overdubs' ( MP3 play_arrow )
- Selwyn Jazz: 'Mixing A Jazz Big-band Recording' ( MP3 play_arrow )
- Dunning Kruger: 'Rock-band Location Recording' ( MP3 play_arrow )
- Show all 24 articleskeyboard_arrow_down
‘The Mix Review’ – hundreds of chart productions analysed
For almost ten years, these critiques appeared in Sound On Sound magazine’s monthly ‘The Mix Review’ column, but in 2020 I decided to continue them on their own dedicated The Mix Review, allowing me to make the articles more interactive, incorporate in-line audio/video examples, and consolidate the hundreds of past and present critiques into an easily searchable archive. Here are just a few of the latest productions I’ve featured:
Interviews
- Richard King: How To Record Acoustic Ensembles
- Bruce Swedien: Recording Michael Jackson
- Glen Ballard: Producing Alanis Morissette
- Husky Hoskulds: Recording Solomon Burke
- David Frank: Recording Christina Aguilera
- Armin Van Buuren: Producing Trance
- Mousse T: Recording Tom Jones
- Marshall Bird & Steve Bush: Recording The Stereophonics
- Andy Wright: Recording Eurythmics
- Dom Jones: Composing For Dubai’s New Year Spectacular
- Hugo Nicholson: Recording Primal Scream
- The Feeling: Recording Join With Us
- Johnny Dollar & Simon Palmskin: Recording Gabrielle
Product Reviews
- Akai: MPD24, MPC500, MPC2500, MPC5000
- Alesis: MultiMix16 USB 2.0, SR18, Master Control
- ART: Voice Channel, Tubefire 8
- Auratone: 5C Super Sound Cube
- Avantone: Mix Cube Active
- Behringer: C5A & C50A
- Blue Sky: Sat 8 & Sub 212, Sat 6.5 EXR
- Cakewalk: V-Studio 100
- Celemony: Melodyne DNA
- Cockos: Reaper v3, Reaper v4
- Genelec: 6010A & 5040A
- Harbal3
- IK Multimedia: T-Racks 3
- Izotope: Neutron
- Keyfax: Art & Science Of Sound Recording
- Korg: Kaoss Pad 2
- Lexicon: Ionix FW810S, Ionix U82S
- M-Audio: Axiom Pro 49
- MakeMusic: Finale 2010
- Novation: Remote 61SL MkII, Nocturn 25
- Presonus: StudioLive 16:4:2
- Real Traps: Mondo Trap
- Richard King: Recording Orchestra & Other Classical Music Ensembles
- Roland: VS1880, VS8F3, MV8800, SP555
- Samson: Resolv A6 &120A
- Sibelius Software: Sibelius v2
- Smyth Research: Realiser A8
- Solid State Logic: X-Desk, Nucleus
- Sonnox: Fraunhofer Pro-Codec
- Tascam: CDRW2000
- TL Audio: FatTrack
- Universal Audio:UAD2